Connection from old to new SR 520 floating bridge begins this summer

SEATTLE – The State Route 520 bridge replacement is steadily taking shape on the east side of Lake Washington, and a new construction crew will soon create the project’s first link with the west side.

Construction planning and staging is underway for the West Connection Bridge Project, an interim structure that will join the new SR 520 floating bridge to the existing highway near the west high rise.

Starting in late July or early August, crews with contractor Mowat-American A Joint Venture will build a 1,330-foot-long, four-lane structure parallel to and north of the current bridge. This critical link will allow travelers from the new SR 520 floating bridge to connect to the existing west-side structure while the remainder of the corridor is being replaced in Seattle.

The Washington State Department of Transportation awarded the contract for the West Connection Bridge Project in April. Mowat-American’s $22,129,243 bid was lowest among four firms that competed for the job. Construction is scheduled for completion in late summer 2014.

The public is invited to learn more about the west connection bridge, floating bridge, and west approach bridge north projects at upcoming public events.

Crews are building the new SR 520 bridge in phases. Construction of the west connection bridge is concurrent with work on the new floating bridge. In 2014, WSDOT will begin the next phase of funded construction, building the north half of a new west approach bridge, which connects the new floating bridge to the Montlake area. The south half of the new west approach bridge is among $1.4 billion in unfunded SR 520 corridor projects.